NEW YORK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged
higher on Wednesday, suggesting the market would continue a
recent upward trend that took benchmark indexes near multi-year
highs.

* Equities have been strong performers of late, with the S&P
500 rising for the past six weeks, putting it up 6.5 percent so
far this year. The Dow is about 1 percent from an all-time
intraday high, reached in October 2007.

* While the long-term trend in markets is expected to remain
positive, some investors may be looking to take profits at
current levels, with the S&P near its highest since November
2007. Recently, daily moves have been small and trading volume
light as investors search for new reasons to drive stocks
higher.

* Industrial and construction shares will be in focus a day
after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, where
he called for a $50 billion spending plan to create jobs by
rebuilding degraded roads and bridges. He also backed higher
taxes for the wealthy.

* Retail sales data is scheduled for release at 8:30 a.m.
(1330 GMT) and are seen rising 0.1 percent in the month as
consumers eyed smaller paychecks on the back of a recent tax
increase. Sales rose 0.5 percent in December.

* Much of the stock market's recent gains have come on the
back of stronger corporate results. Economic data, including
recent reads on gross domestic product, have indicated some
weakness.

* According to the latest Thomson Reuters data, of the 353
companies in the S&P 500 that have reported results, 70.3
percent have exceeded analysts' expectations, above a 62 percent
average since 1994 and 65 percent over the past four quarters.

* Fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are
estimated to have risen 5.3 percent, according to the data,
above a 1.9 percent forecast at the start of the earnings
season.

* Also in economic news, business inventories are seen
rising 0.3 percent in December, a repeat of the November
increase. The data is due at 10 a.m.

* U.S. stocks closed modestly higher on Tuesday as investors
looked ahead to President Barack Obama's State of the Union
address.